Chapter 19

Chapter 3 For That Handful of Silver Coins (2)

***

Rustle, rustle—

"Kairaltech Shower Booth Set, for small shelters... How much?"

"U-uh, 217,800 silings..."

"Two Kairaltech Z-type Air Purifiers..."

"Two for 160,000 silings."

"O-one... h-hundred... s-six... t-ten thousand..."

If you want to live long in the wasteland, you shouldn't dwell too much on the past. There's a saying, right? 'Oh, survivor, isn't the future ahead of you far more beautiful than looking back?'

The day after I lost my mind, half-destroyed Corduro, and fell asleep,

the first thought that came to mind when I woke up was 'It's already too late.'

It's more economical to find a solution during that time rather than just lying there and sighing over what's already done.

So, from morning, I sat in the brightly lit living room, sorting through the purchase list sent by the dome, alongside the half-destroyed Corduro drone.

I need to determine the extent of the damage to decide on a course of action.

"Active Reactive Automatic Turret—Installation Type."

"U-uh, it's a good deal, apparently the demand for shelter installations has decreased recently..."

"Corduro."

"932,000 silings..."

Snap!

"I-I've committed a mortal sin!"

"No, it's not a 'mortal sin,' but a 'sin to be killed for.' Thanks to you, I'm about to die."

Sigh.

I kept repeating the character for 'endure' (忍) in my mind while fiddling with the pencil. Inner peace, inner peeeace~ How did I end up doing this even outside the game? Really.

If it's my fault, it's my fault. I set the decision-making freedom of the shelter AI to the highest level, 'Everything is possible as long as the Three Laws are not violated.'

There was no choice. In a situation where I live alone in the wasteland, where anything can happen at any time,

if I'm about to die and shout, 'Corduro! Overload the turrets and blow away everything attached to them!' and it replies, 'Bip—No authority to damage the residence,' that wouldn't do, right?

I needed a companion who could think and act autonomously in emergencies.

'...So this mess happened.'

Ugh, Professor Park, you foolish, complacent man! How could you let this crazy, wild AI loose?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"O-oh, Master! Calm down! You'll hurt your head!"

"It's fine. I'm punishing my past self for being complacent. Leave me alone. Call me later."

After a brief period of agony and endurance, I finally lost my words when I saw the completed list.

==========

Kairaltech Shower Booth Set, for small shelters - 217,800

Kairaltech Z-type Air Purifiers x 2 - 160,000

Unknown source, used active reactive automatic turret - 932,000

Sugar 3kg - 180,000

Salt 1kg - 70,000

Corn seeds 1 pack - 5,000

Life End Murder, all-purpose protective suit - 90,000

Nostalgic Days luxury dinnerware set - 22,500

Genuine Happy Blinds solar-powered Alpha wave sleep inducer - 50,000

(Direct trade) Player 'DOOMgay' antique double-barreled shotgun - 420,000

Life End Murder, small auxiliary shield generator - 200,000

Drone repair parts (outer shell, internal tools, floating device) set - 50,000

Total: 2,397,300 Sil

==========

"Haha, hahaha..."

Rustle, rustle—

Thud.

2.4 million. A staggering 2.4 million. Ah, I feel like I'm going to lose my mind. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind!

Clack, clack, clack.

The sheer enormity of the number made me clap involuntarily.

"Wow. The receipt is really thick. It's packed with items. So heavy, I almost dropped it."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I never thought the broadcast would collapse so suddenly..."

"When is the repayment due?"

"About ten days... or so..."

"Damn highway robbers."

Ten days. 2.4 million in ten days.

Seeing Corduro fidgeting beside me, I couldn't help but sigh. If he had been completely useless, I could have at least vented my frustration.

Looking at the list, I realized that all the items I bought were familiar.

'Ah, shower! I want to shower! I want to take a hot shower! Corduro! Why cold showers when there's no need for stamina?'

'Hey, Corduro. Even though we live in the wasteland, shouldn't we at least be able to breathe comfortably at home? My eardrums are about to burst from the noise of that modified vacuum cleaner-air purifier!'

'Cough! Ah, it hurts so much. I almost died. If there had been one more person, it would have been easy to stop. Did we get all the mutants that came this time?'

'I want something sweet.'

'Ah, this? It's nothing. The shotgun barrel exploded again.'

'Corduro, we're not going to die like this, right? How did we survive until now, and it would be too much to freeze to death. That would really... be too much.'

"Corduro."

"Corduro!!"

"C-C-Corduro!!!"

"...Too good a memory for nothing. Damn machine."

What can I do? Despite everything, Corduro is the last family I have in the world. He's saved me from suicide dozens of times, so maybe I'll forgive him this time.

***

08:00 AM

"Protective suit."

"Checked."

"Gas mask."

"Got it."

"Goggles."

"Checked."

"Map."

"I always keep it with me, even when I sleep."

"Weapons."

"One homemade pipe shotgun, twenty-four shotgun shells, one homemade machete, 15 mL of gasoline."

"Hmm? Is that all? Why don't you bring a Molotov cocktail?"

"It's too heavy and cumbersome. I'm not going to war. In this area, prayer and stealth are more important than combat power."

"But still... I guess you know what you're doing. So, you have everything?"

"Ah, right. I'll bring about 10 meters of old wire."

"Why the wire?"

"To use as a rope. It's durable, has high friction, and is elastic. There's nothing better. Remove it from the inventory."

Before going outside, I filled my stomach with the tasteless calorie bars Corduro made and cross-checked my equipment.

"At least it's a good thing there's one direct trade. If I play my cards right, I can get a refund."

"The player 'DOOMgay'... right? I thought it was a bit random when I saw a direct trade among the items listed on the marketplace. Do I really have to meet in person?"

"It's a consignment sale. I don't know why, but he wants to meet in person. In this world, if someone says, 'I need to see your face to sell something,' they're almost 99% scammers or robbers. So, he's listing it as a direct trade through the reputable marketplace."

The marketplace is the name of a huge merchant alliance that controls the commerce in the dome.

They're known for selling good items at not-so-good prices, but they have a decent reputation because they've never cheated anyone.

"Anyway, you'll be busy today, right?"

"Yeah. We're meeting near Sector 43. I'll look for useful things on the way, try to persuade the shotgun seller, and visit Uncle Woojin to get some medicine. I might not be back for a few days."

"Hmm... Did you bring enough preserved food?"

In response to Corduro's question, I silently showed him the brick-like calorie bars and water bottle tucked inside my vest.

"Please, come back safely this time."

"Sure. You remember what you have to do at home, right?"

"Of course!"

In a situation where I owe almost 2.4 million, an amount impossible to repay,

the reason one person and an AI can move with such enthusiasm is that they've caught a glimmer of hope.

Last night, I logged into GG just in case. Even though I was dead, I thought maybe I could get some money as a reward for my contributions, which could be used in the marketplace.

When I logged in—

Ding!

[Connection failed. Character 'Professor' is in an uncontrollable state / 145 : 24 : 33 /]

"..."

Ding!

[Connection failed. Character 'Professor' is in an uncontrollable state / 145 : 24 : 31 /]

No matter how many times I tried, it was the same. Connection failed. The character was not 'dead' but 'uncontrollable.'

I had heard of such cases before. The character must have been imprisoned, subdued by an enemy, or...

"Comatose!"

He's not dead. He's not dead yet! That means the large, vulnerable character is still alive!

The timer next to me must be counting down the time until the comatose state ends. I don't know what's happening, but if my character is still alive, there might be a way to gather money.

"140 hours, about 5 days. If the broadcast's money-making can return to normal, it won't be necessary, but since we don't know what will happen, I'll try to earn as much money as possible during this time.

Meanwhile, Corduro, you should tell the chat room people that the character is comatose and can't come in, and keep an eye on my character's status. There are cases where characters wake up from a coma suddenly."

"Got it!"

As long as he's alive. As long as he's alive. After all, from the beginning, he was practically a dead man. Please, just stay alive, Professor.

"I'm leaving. Take care of the house."

"Of course! Come back safely!"

With a prayerful heart, the Professor left the shelter.

***

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

A man was carefully feeling his way along a road thickly covered with sand. Sector 40 was the farthest from the range of the nuclear warheads that fell in this area.

Thanks to this, the population density... not that it could be called that, but at least more people lived here, and there were quite a few buildings from the old civilization left standing. Especially in Sector 45, between my home in Sector 47 and my destination in Sector 43, there was a building that maintained its original circular shape after the war, indicating that the area had been spared from the bombardment.

'Intersection with a 10-story building. Safe up to three steps from the left wall.'

This well-preserved city later became a plundering ground in the ensuing chaos, where scavengers gathered to seize as many remaining resources as possible. After numerous battles, they settled in this city, which had almost no resources left. As a result, Sector 45 became the Looting Arena.

Swish.

The Professor took out a map covered with graffiti and marked an X with a small piece of charcoal at the reference point.

'Fifth floor of the building on the left side of the intersection. Barricades have appeared on the windows. This must be a structure for cover, not because there are any remaining resources in this area. So... I should consider this entire stretch from here to the inner road as a danger zone.'

The thickly covered windows of the high-rise building, the debris scattered on the road from the partially collapsed buildings, and the structure that allowed for ambushes from any position. The map was filled with notes indicating where to aim, where the blind spots were, and where the danger zones were, a survival guide recorded step by step. After killing a scavenger here a few years ago and acquiring the map, I had steadily updated it every time I passed through Sector 45, making it quite reliable.

'...Hmm. It feels like someone is waiting there...'

There was no clear sign of an enemy, just a hunch. A strange discomfort. A debris pile that seemed perfect for cover, which hadn't been there before.

The Professor looked at a broken mirror at the end of the fork in the road, trying to find his reflection. The reason I took this route was to check both sides through the curved mirror from a relatively safe position. But the sharp rock fragments and bullet marks around it suggested that there had been a recent battle, and the remaining mirror shards had fallen completely.

'Arrows mean one side is a Hound Scav, and the other side... who were the enemies of the Hound Scavs here? The Beni Anarchists? The Wanderers?'

If I knew their identity, it would have helped to adjust the jurisdiction of the sectors. But since Hound Scavs are everywhere, it wasn't particularly useful information.

Thump, thump, thump.

The man's dusty hand emerged from behind the debris pile and threw three stones in the direction of the Professor.

A military signal. Used when encountering an unknown faction in areas where verbal communication is limited. Three stones flying accurately in the direction of cover. It means, 'I know you're there, no intention to fight.'

"Quite a sensitive guy. If you keep this up, you'll snap in this neighborhood."

"What are you doing?"

"Just being nice to a fellow who's a bit behind on the latest info."

The man quickly took the map from the Professor's pocket and pulled out a stubby pencil from behind his ear.

"Wow, you've really done a thorough job. This is impressive..."

He began to scribble over the entire Sector 45 on the map.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

"Wait a bit. It's all for a good reason."

The notes I had made on the map were quickly covered in black graphite, and the man wet his finger and erased a small white spot on the black background.

"Here, the latest info on Sector 45."

Click!

"Nice to meet you. Fellow. Take care."

"Kehehe! You're a fun one!"

The man pointed to the newly erased white spot on the map.

"Yesterday, there was a significant battle here. The Raptor gang came to loot, but they messed with the wrong scavenger group, and their allies swarmed in, leading to a major battle. Gunfire and explosions were heard all night, and it was the first time in a while that I could sleep well. Kehehe!"

Indeed. The atmosphere in Sector 45 felt subtly different from usual.

"Just the main points."

"This guy's personality is really... not fit to be a leader. The area where the battle took place was the only no-man's land in Sector 45.

It was a block with the largest building in the area, but when the building collapsed, it brought down several already precarious nearby buildings, burying the entire block. No one bothered with it, thinking it was already looted.

But during this battle, the explosion sent debris flying, opening up a path. Do you know what was there?"

...Swallow.

The Professor involuntarily swallowed. A city that had been called a Looting Arena because it had so much to loot. A closed-off area in this city during the early post-war period.

"Could... something be left there?"

"Kekeke! No! It was completely empty on the surface."

"On the surface?"

"How about it, still not interested?"

No, I'm interested. The vision of silings pouring into my head was almost visible.

Seeing the Professor's mouth open wide, the man lowered his scarf and laughed like a troublemaker.

"Yeah. There was an underground building beneath the debris! According to rumors, it seems to be the remains of a large shelter complex built by the rich, who knew that Sector 45 was a safe zone strategically."

"Right now, all the scavengers in Sector 45, and even those nearby who have their ears open, are flocking to this place!"

The short man spoke with a dreamy look, forgetting to lower his voice.

"When an entire block became a ruin, a giant treasure chest that had been sleeping peacefully for five years was finally opened!"

***